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Category Archives: Special Events
My New Sparkly!
The past couple of weeks have been life changing for me. With my surgery on the 5th of May, not only is my uterus gone, but hopefully, the cancer that came along with it will be gone for good. That’s not all that’s gone. After 30 years of menstruation – BOOM! – no more. If I hadn’t had the surgery, I would be having my period right now, and it’s kind of weird that I’m not. I don’t particularly miss it but it’s certainly strange after all this time to not have it. So, in a sort of honor of my first un-period, the better half got me a sparkly! You can’t tell in that picture, but it’s a garnet, which is fitting I suppose 
Away with the fairies
Why Religious People Are Scared of Atheists
In case you might be wondering why a bad old pagan like myself is posting about atheism, it’s because, as a bad old pagan, I’m often the focus of the same sort of treatment, as though simply existing openly as a bad old pagan is offensive all on its own. Sure, I believe in a whole lotta gods, and atheists don’t believe in any, but we get hit with the same stick, you better believe it 
•READ: Why Religious People Are Scared of Atheists:
Now, if the Christian Right wants to argue that everyone should be Christian, they absolutely have the right to do that. Heck, I argue that everyone should be atheist. I think that atheism is correct and religious belief is mistaken, and I’m working hard trying to persuade people of that. If the Christian Right thinks Christianity is correct and all other positions on religion are mistaken, by all means, they should make that case.
But there’s a huge difference between making a case for why your religious views are correct… and getting offended, insulted, and martyred over the mere fact that some people disagree with you. Making a case for your position is one thing. Trying to stop other people from making their case is quite another.
The former is simply the marketplace of ideas: bumpy, fractious, sometimes obnoxious, even at times grotesque, but a cornerstone of a free society. The latter is entitlement. The latter is hegemony: systems by which those in power perpetuate and expand their power. And, when it gets enshrined into government policy — like teaching religious beliefs in public school science classes, or funding religious organizations with tax money, or opening government meetings with prayers, or displaying the Ten Commandments on government property, or promoting one religion over another in a public school — the latter is theocracy.
And when the Christian right demands that atheists not be allowed to march in a public Christmas parade, or to advertise on public buses and trains… that’s exactly what they’re demanding.
I read stuff
Wherein I read things, laugh, and pass them on to you…
•READ: A very merry Christmas concert, courtesy of iPad:
Thanks, Katy!
•READ: Another deck gone: A lament for science fiction:
On the heels of its cancellation of Caprica, the SyFy Channel just announced it has canceled Stargate Universe. That’s disappointing to me. SGU, a military science fiction series in its second season, has just developed solid feet to stand on—in other words, it was becoming a good story. It is fleshing out its characters and its themes of sacrifice, duty, who we follow and why, the pull between orders and ethics, the good of the many versus the good of the few (or one), what makes us human and what we believe, what it means to live together as a community, and what it means to love—many of which are themes common to the military science fiction genre and all of which are aspects of good stories that bring God-talk into open spaces.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the series lost support from its network (even one ironically touting itself as one that supports the genre) because a lot of science fiction has historically had a difficult time holding ratings on the small screen (from the original Star Trek to Firefly to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles to the recently canceled Caprica). As I’ve mentioned before, there seem to be a bunch of factors that go into making a show tank, from a low buzz factor, schedule changes, bad lead-in, and high production costs to the tendency of ongoing story arcs (rather than self-contained one-hour dramas) to wean off viewers –all of which are battles good science fiction stories face these days.
Then there’s the fact that good stories simply make us work harder. They tend to not only entertain but also confront, provoke, poke and make us uncomfortable. In the humble opinion of this blogger, science fiction is one of the most thought-provoking genres out there with the potential to tell good stories—which, among other things, explore what it means to be human. It gets at who we are and why we do the things we do and takes us down the roads those choices lead. It tells us something about ourselves, the reality we live in, the people around us. It invites us to reflect on our lives, provokes us to examine what we believe and why, and helps us think through the issues facing us in our own lives. And, if we are intentional, stories like this have the potential to change the way we approach life, people and the world.
•READ: Red Moon: Lunar eclipse will make it a memorable solstice:
Weather permitting, skygazers in northern America and Europe are in for a treat in the early morning hours of Tuesday, when the first total lunar eclipse in almost three years is poised to turn the Moon pink, coppery or even a blood red. Coinciding eerily with the northern hemisphere’s mid-winter solstice, the eclipse will happen because the Sun, the Earth and its satellite are directly aligned, and the Moon swings into the cone of shadow cast by its mother planet.
+ FOR FURTHER DETAILS:
- www.mreclipse.com/LEdata/TLE2010Dec21/TLE2010Dec21.html
- www.space.com/spacewatch/total-lunar-eclipse-moon-101217.html
- www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/111597159.html
Away
Hello, readers,
Due to a surgical procedure I’m having tomorrow morning, I won’t be able to update the blog for a few days. While I’m recuperating, the writing will continue on though, so have no fear! The second chapter of Jack is almost complete and I should hopefully have it ready to go next week when I’m back, so stay tuned!
E.
